De Blasio Rolls Out Jobs Task Force

Mayor Bill de Blasio this morning unveiled the 30 members of a new task aimed at retooling the city’s workforce training efforts.

“Jobs for New Yorkers” leadership team includes several close de Blasio confidantes, including Vincent Alvarez, the president of the New York City Central Labor Council–an umbrella group of the city’s unions, Jennifer Jones Austin, the head of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, who co-chaired the mayor’s transition efforts, and Kyle Kimball, the president and CEO of New York City Economic Development Corporation.

Also on the panel: Carlo Frappolli, the head of talent at JPMorgan Chase, Leo Hindery Jr., the managing partner of InterMedia Partners, a series of private equity funds, who formerly served as an economic and trade advisor to President Barack Obama when he was a candidate, and venture capitalist Fred Wilson.

Mr. de Blasio stressed the group’s goal would be to figure out how to help people build skills to land high-paying jobs, with opportunities for advancement, instead of just funneling them to minimum wage slots.

“Jobs for New Yorkers’ will play a key role in furthering the administration’s efforts to create more opportunity and fundamentally shift our workforce and education system to focus on quality, well-paying jobs that support families,” the mayor said in a statement. “With this task force, we are going to harness the experience, knowledge and expertise from this diverse group of business, education and community leaders to expand opportunity for more hardworking New Yorkers.”

The task force’s announcement was originally scheduled to be announced last month, but was pushed back to today.

Task force to bolster administration’s efforts to provide quality employment opportunities for more New Yorkers to develop a stronger, resilient economy

NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced the 30 members of ‘Jobs for New Yorkers’ that will develop real-time strategies to strengthen the city’s workforce and help workers develop the skills needed to secure good paying jobs in fast-growing careers. The task force will help shift the City’s approach to focus on employment for New Yorkers in skill-building, higher-wage jobs that offer opportunities for advancement, as opposed to job placement in low-paying sectors.

“‘Jobs for New Yorkers’ will play a key role in furthering the administration’s efforts to create more opportunity and fundamentally shift our workforce and education system to focus on quality, well-paying jobs that support families,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “With this task force, we are going to harness the experience, knowledge and expertise from this diverse group of business, education and community leaders to expand opportunity for more hardworking New Yorkers.”

The 30 members represent a balance of ‘supply’ and ‘demand’ and represent millions of employees, union members, students and low-income New Yorkers that are a part of creating the new goals. The task force’s 11-member leadership team is comprised of: Vincent Alvarez, President, NYCCLC; Jennifer Jones Austin, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies; Carlo Frappolli, Head of Talent, JPMorgan Chase; Leo Hindery Jr., Managing Partner, InterMedia Partners; Patricia Jenny, Vice President for Grants, New York Community Trust; Tim Johnson, Senior Vice President and Executive Director of Finance and Graduate Medical Education, Greater New York Hospital Association; Angie Kamath, Executive Director of the New York site, Per Scholas; Kyle Kimball, President, NYC Economic Development Corporation; John Mogulescu, Senior University Dean for Academic Affairs, CUNY; Maria Torres-Springer, Commissioner, Small Business Services; and Fred Wilson, Managing Partner, Union Square Ventures.

Led by these dynamic figures from the innovation economy, financial services, community development and higher education, the task force has been charged with delivering recommendations on how the City can:

Better integrate the $500 million investment in workforce programs and education resources to serve the unemployed and under-employed;

Combine economic development strategies with workforce development initiatives to allow more New Yorkers access to quality employment in industries where the City makes investments;

Address the skill gaps for low-wage workers by creating training programs that teach skills specifically geared to what today’s companies need. This will create a pipeline of homegrown workers who can fill the new opportunities being created by the City’s growing businesses; and

Ensure our local employers seek, find and hire talent from the five boroughs.

This fall, the task force will deliver a report to Mayor de Blasio with concrete recommendations on how the City can achieve the goals outlined above.

“The work to change the way the City approaches workforce development and build a high-quality talent pipeline that is equipped with today’s most in-demand skills starts today,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Alicia Glen. “I look forward to working with ‘Jobs for New Yorkers’ to develop new, innovative ways to ensure that we’re providing the city’s businesses with the top-notch, homegrown talent to support the local economy and sharpen the city’s competitive edge.”

“Workforce development is a bridge to connect the chasm of inequality that has held millions of New Yorkers back from reaching the American Dream and their full potential. Putting together some of our City’s smartest minds to tackle this challenge is the right approach. Connecting existing public and private resources in a strategic manner with the men and women that need the skills and opportunities is how Brooklyn and all of New York City can grow a stronger, more sustainable economic future for all,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.

“The labor movement will continue to help provide working men and women with the training and support necessary to secure good jobs paying family-sustaining wages,” said Vincent Alvarez, President of the New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO. “I applaud the de Blasio administration for initiating this task force, and I look forward to working with other city stakeholders to help reduce the crippling income disparities that have plagued hard working New Yorkers for far too long.”

“To become a city of equal opportunity, New York City must advance opportunities for upward mobility through job training and supports that lead to family-sustaining wages,” said Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO and Executive Director of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies. “We applaud Mayor de Blasio’s efforts to move the city’s workforce system to one that is focused on higher wages and growing sectors, and support his aim to ensure that less-skilled workers have access to comprehensive training, apprenticeship and job placement programs.”

“As one of the largest private employers in New York City, JPMorgan Chase knows from experience that this is a tough problem to tackle. We look forward to working with other task force members on solutions that better connect businesses with education and workforce training providers,” said Carlo Frappolli, Head of Talent at JPMorgan Chase. “We know these workforce partnerships are an effective way to create more career pathways for New York City job seekers and to improve economic opportunity for all.”

“I am very honored to serve as a member of the leadership committee of ‘Jobs for New Yorkers.’ Mayor de Blasio’s commitment to better balancing the employment base of our city is of paramount importance, and the entire task force shares his vision of growing city businesses of all sorts, enhancing the skills of our labor force, and finding meaningful and rewarding employment for our unemployed and under-employed neighbors,” said Leo Hindery Jr., Managing Partner at InterMedia Partners.

“I’m happy to serve on Mayor de Blasio’s task force. The New York Community Trust and the NYC Workforce Funders are pleased to have a productive relationship with the City as we work together on this pressing issue. We applaud the Mayor for seeking advice from experts about the most effective ways the City can help low-skilled New Yorkers succeed in jobs and careers while growing our economy. The Trust, like other foundations, is eager to work closely with the City to improve jobs and to increase access of disadvantaged New Yorkers to employment,” said Patricia Jenny, Vice President for Grants at New York Community Trust.

“Greater New York Hospital Association applauds the Mayor’s focus on the workforce needs of New York City and we look forward to working with him to ensure a great health care system for the city’s residents,” said Tim Johnson, Senior Vice President of the Greater New York Hospital Association.

“Per Scholas is honored to play a role in helping revolutionize workforce development in New York City while also leading the way to transform the South Bronx—once considered the epitome of neighborhood disinvestment and abandonment—into New York’s newest tech industry hub,” said Angie Kamath, Executive Director of Per Scholasin New York City. “Our high outcomes have only been achieved by collaborating with multiple partners from the community, city government, nonprofit and corporate sectors. ‘Jobs for New Yorkers’ is leveraging the vast experience of its members to think about how we both build on successes but also challenge ourselves to take risks and try promising new approaches.”

“The ‘Jobs for New Yorkers’ task force will engage in critically important work on two levels at once,” said New York City Economic Development Corporation President Kyle Kimball. “In developing strategies to help New Yorkers secure quality employment, we are also working to increase the city’s economic resiliency—ensuring that millions of talented city residents keep multiple sectors of the economy thriving, strengthening and diversifying the five borough economic engine.”

“I am delighted to serve on the Mayor’s jobs task force. As a lifelong New Yorker, I recognize that nothing is more important to the city’s future than ensuring employment opportunities for its people,” said John Mogulescu, Senior University Dean for Academic Affairs at CUNY.

“Workforce Development is a crucial component for a growing economy. Helping people find the skills to secure a decent wage and benefits is vital. I am honored to serve on Mayor de Blasio’s Task Force and look forward to working with the team he has assembled,” said Cesar J. Claro, Executive Director of the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation.

“It’s an honor to participate and contribute to Mayor de Blasio’s ‘Jobs for New Yorkers’ task force, and I’m thankful that the Mayor is taking leadership on this important issue. Within these past few years, we have seen a dramatic shift in the burgeoning Queens tech community and the opportunities that it provides. As New York City continues to grow in the new digital economy, we must ensure that New Yorkers in every neighborhood—particularly in our low-income and diverse communities—have access to the skills training and entrepreneurship opportunities that will increase economic mobility, and enable our businesses to thrive,” said Jukay Hsu, Founder of Coalition for Queens (C4Q).

“There is no more important issue facing the city than the skills gap. The ‘Jobs for New Yorkers’ task force can help guide City policy and action and achieve real economic benefit for all New Yorkers,” said Stanley Litow, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs and President of the IBM International Foundation for IBM.

“A world class city like New York City needs a world class workforce development system that achieves the right balance between the needs of job seekers and businesses, integrates the resources of government, employers, providers and private funders effectively to impact workforce strategy and programs, and leverages the exponential advances in technology to prepare New Yorkers for work in a changing world and changing economy,” said Ira Machowsky, Executive Vice President of FEGS.

“Shifting the City’s workforce development model to ensure that we tap into the talent right here in the five boroughs will not only meet employer needs but also connect New Yorkers to jobs with family-supporting wages and real career paths,” said Maria Torres-Springer, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. “I look forward to working with the Mayor and my colleagues on the Mayor’s jobs task force to help connect businesses with the talent they need, and create a city with shared opportunities for economic security.”

Vincent Alvarez is the first full-time president of the NYCCLC, and the organization’s first Latino President. Alvarez is the board chairman for the Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives at New York University, as well as a board member for the Greater New York Councils, Boy Scouts of America; the AFL-CIO State Federation CLC Advisory Board; and the Murphy Institute for Worker Education and Labor Studies at City University of New York. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Oneonta, where he majored in business economics.

Jennifer Jones Austin

Jennifer Jones Austin is the Chief Executive Officer and executive director of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies. Prior to joining FPWA, Jones Austin served as senior vice president of United Way of New York City. In 2006, Jennifer Jones Austin was appointed New York City’s first Family Services Coordinator by Mayor Bloomberg. Jones Austin earned her law degree from Fordham University School of Law, a Master’s degree in Management and Policy from New York University Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and a Bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University.

Carlo Frapolli

Carlo Frappolli is Head of Talent at JPMorgan Chase. In this capacity, he is responsible for talent management, leadership development, succession planning and talent acquisition. Frappolli is a graduate of the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. Frappolli’s civic involvement includes being on the National Board of the American Liver Foundation and the Chancellor’s Advisory Council at TCU.

Leo Hindery, Jr.

Leo Hindery, Jr. is Managing Partner of InterMedia Partners, a series of media industry private equity funds he founded in 1988. Hindery is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and co-chair of the Task Force on Job Creation and Trade. In 2008, he was an economic and trade advisor to presidential candidate Barack Obama. From 2001 until October 2004, he was the founding Chairman and CEO of The YES Network, the regional television home of the New York Yankees. Hindery is a director of Common Cause New York, the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, and the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council.

Patricia Jenny

Patricia Jenny is Vice President for Grants at The New York Community Trust, New York City’s community foundation. Since 2001, she managed a national environment program supporting efforts across the country to address climate change, environmental health, and habitat protection. Jenny also manages a philanthropic collaborative focused on improving the workforce development system for New York City job seekers and employers. Jenny has also served as the director of the Neighborhood Strategies Project.

Tim Johnson

Tim Johnson is Senior Vice President and Executive Director of Finance and Graduate Medical Education at the Greater New York Hospital Association. Johnson is also the executive director of the GNYHA Foundation, which identifies grant-funding opportunities for individual institutional projects as well as collaborative projects that can serve common needs across multiple institutions. He holds a Master of Science degree in Mathematics and Statistics and a Master of Arts degree in Philosophy.

Kyle Kimball

Kyle Kimball serves as President and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, where he leads the organization’s continued efforts to position New York City as the global center for innovation and to increase economic empowerment and mobility for all New Yorkers. Since joining NYCEDC in 2008, Kimball has helped to develop and implement NYCEDC’s strategy to bolster the City’s economy, including expanding entrepreneurship and developing new career paths that expand and strengthen New York’s middle class. Kimball previously worked at Goldman, Sachs & Co. as a vice president and at J.P. Morgan, also as a Vice President.

Angie Kamath

Angie Kamath is currently the Executive Director of the New York site of Per Scholas, a national nonprofit that breaks cycles of poverty by training and placing unemployed and underemployed adults into entry and mid-level IT positions. She has also served as Deputy Commissioner of Workforce Development at the NYC Department of Small Business Services. Before working in City government, Kamath was the Executive Director of StreetWise Partners, a job training organization, and she began her career in corporate finance at Citigroup. Kamath holds a B.S. in Business Management from Cornell University and a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University.

John Mogulescu

John Mogulescu is the Senior University Dean for Academic Affairs and the Dean of the CUNY School of Professional Studies, where he is responsible for the oversight of collaborative programs between CUNY and the New York City Public Schools, CUNY Prep Transitional High School, the CUNY Language Immersion Program, CUNY Start, the Adult Literacy and GED Preparation Programs, and the University’s Workforce Development Initiative. Mogulescu received a B.A. from Brown University and an M.S.W. from New York University.

Maria Torres-Springer

Maria Torres-Springer serves as Commissioner of Small Business Services. Prior to joining the de Blasio administration, Torres-Springer served as the Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff at the New York City Economic Development Corporation, where she oversaw the development and implementation of more than 100 initiatives designed to support innovation and entrepreneurship across all industries. Torres-Springer has also served at the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development & Rebuilding as a senior policy advisor and as the Chief Operating Officer of Friends of the Highline.

Fred Wilson

Fred Wilson has been a venture capitalist since 1987. He currently is a managing partner at Union Square Ventures and also founded Flatiron Partners. Fred has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and an MBA from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. Fred is married with three kids and lives in New York City.